


Perfect Places

by rhodee



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Reunions, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Lack of Communication, Literally ZERO communication, Loki's also an Idiot, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Sharing a Bed, Sneaky Frigga (Marvel), Some Humor, Tony Stark Feels, Tony's an idiot, cause there's a shitload of that, did i say pining?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhodee/pseuds/rhodee
Summary: All Tony has to do is pretend to be Loki's boyfriend in front of Loki's entire family. How bad could it be?(Reallybad, and then not bad at all)
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 28
Kudos: 278
Collections: Marvel





	Perfect Places

**Author's Note:**

> Because no ship can ever have too many fake dating fics. 👀

Tony's watching a rerun of The Bachelor – legs kicked up on the coffee table with a bowl of ramen cradled in his hand – when Loki's phone starts to ring. He cranes his neck just enough to catch a glimpse of the caller ID. 

"Lokes," Tony yells out through a mouthful of ramen, gaze settling back on the television. "It's your mother!" 

There's a shuffle of boxes from somewhere in Loki's room, followed by a thump of something hollow hitting the floor. Half an hour ago, Loki had abruptly glanced at his watch, muttered something under his breath, and – much to Tony's annoyance – detangled himself from Tony's legs before heading straight to Thor's bedroom. 

"Tell her I'm not around!" Loki shouts. "I'm–" More shuffling; some muffled curses. "– _busy!"_

Mildly concerned – but enough to actually walk all the way over and see what Loki was up to – Tony sets his ramen down. He swipes the ringing phone off of the table, and just as he's about to answer, he stops. 

"Do I tell her you're not around or that you're busy?" Tony calls out, craning his neck in the direction of Loki's bedroom. 

"I don't know!" comes the Very Helpful response, and Tony's well on his way to Thor's bedroom now. " _Anything!_ I'll– _"_ Loki cuts off with a curse. "–I'll call her back!" 

The door to Thor's bedroom is ajar, and Tony's immediately greeted with the sight of Loki practicing Balancing 101 in bedroom acrobatics. There are two empty cartons on the floor around Loki along with a few of what looks like Thor's clothes and belongings scattered within the same radius. Loki has one foot perfectly balanced on the headrest of Thor's chair, the toes of his other foot curving around one of the wooden planks on Thor's bookshelf, creating a perfect inverted V of his legs. Tony has to shift his eyes away from the curve of Loki's muscles under his unbelievably skinny jeans. Because, obviously, Loki's on a mission to test Tony's libido while clothing himself in jeans that stretch across slim, never-ending legs like second skin. Further up, the curve of Loki's ass suddenly makes Tony's mouth go dry. 

Tony moves closer, eyes flicking everywhere except for the lower half of Loki's body, swiftly answering the call before putting it on loudspeaker. Loki continues to be unaware of Tony's presence behind him, hands wildly digging into a secret cabinet built into the wall and positioned impossibly far from reach. Unless, of course, you were Loki and had legs for days. Tony, shamelessly, continues to stare. 

"Loki?" A female voice rings around the room, and Tony almost jerks in surprise at the new voice until he realizes he's the one who put Loki's mother on the call. Loki, on the other hand, actually _does_ jerk, nearly bringing all 163 pounds of him crashing onto the floor if he hadn't caught himself at the edge of the cabinet with an iron-like grip. Loki's head whips around to glare at Tony, sharp green eyes a contrast to the soft, breathy, " _Mother_ ," that leaves his lips.

Tony offers a sheepish smile in return as he moves the phone to partially cover his face from Loki's view. He's a proud recipient of the Loki glare, but it doesn't mean he's going to go around subjecting himself to it. 

"Is this an inconvenient time?" Loki's mother asks, clearly catching on to something from Loki's tone. 

"No," Loki answers, and then clears his throat, somehow twisting his body to make himself more audible and yet perfectly keeping his balance. "No, it's okay. Is everything alright?" 

"Yes," comes the response. There's a telling pause. "Your father was wondering when you're arriving."

Tony can see Loki's face twist in a grimace. "Father was wondering?" 

"I was. I'm sure he shares my concerns."

Loki hums non-committedly, his face suddenly blank. "I'm sure he does."

"Loki," his mother chides, albeit softly. Tony's suddenly reminded of his own mother. He repositions the phone just in time to see Loki chewing on his bottom lip. A sliver of pink darts out to wet his lips before he speaks. 

"I'm leaving in a few hours," Loki finally says. 

"You're coming alone?" His mother asks immediately. "What about your boyfriend?" 

_That_ gets Tony attention, his eyes snapping up in barely concealed shock. Guilt flickers over Loki's face for a brief second before it vanishes, but Tony's quick to catch on to it. He narrows his eyes, mouthing a sharp, accusing, _what?_ which only gets him a blank stare from Loki. There's no way Loki has a _boyfriend_ that Tony doesn't know about.

Is there? 

Tony's not jealous. He's _not._

"No," Loki answers firmly, looking away from Tony's accusing stare.

"Well, have you asked him?" his mother asks. "It's Hela's wedding. I'm sure he'd love to be there. And we'd love to meet him."

"It's a small ceremony." Loki is quick to dismiss the notion. "He doesn't have to be there."

"Loki." It's the same tone again, and it has a miracle-level impact on Loki, because his best friend-slash-love-of-his-life sighs in resignation. 

"I don't– I'll ask him." _Oh, god. He really has a boyfriend._

Tony can _hear_ the smile on his mother's face when she answers. "I'll prepare your room."

"That won't be necessary," Loki answers immediately, cheeks flushing a shade of pink. _And he like-likes the boyfriend!_

"I'll see you soon, Loki."

"You have a boyfriend," Tony blurts out the minute the call ends, his sentence almost a question, and Loki levels him down with an impressively blank look. 

"I don't," Loki says. Very articulate. But it's enough for Tony's heart to settle at a normal pace. Loki holds onto Tony's gaze for a brief second before he turns his attention back to the cabinet, seemingly done with the conversation. 

"Who was she talking about, then?" Tony demands, and _sue him_ if he sounds accusing. Tony nearly got an aneurysm from that phone call. Tony wasn't letting him off the hook that easy. 

"You," Loki answers, as if that alone didn't just make Tony's heart _leap_ out of his chest. He's still fixated on rummaging through Thor's cabinet, completely unaware of Tony's face going beet _red._ "I told her I was visiting my boyfriend's family on my birthday. I didn't want to go home. I assumed she forgot, seeing as it's been months since my birthday."

Tony remembers that. Even after Thor had insisted Loki to go home for the weekend, Loki had stayed glued to the couch, nimble fingers working the pages of his book as if Thor wasn't even there. Tony had been sitting beside him at the time, plain amused whilst watching the interaction. 

But more importantly, _no boyfriend. Thank the fucking gods._

"You _used_ me?" Tony asks, spirits lifted and hand flying dramatically to his chest, which Loki doesn't even notice. It's the small things in life that makes you happy, really. "Lokes, I am _wounded._ Is this your definition of a healthy, trustworthy friendship?" 

"I did," Loki says. "And yes." No remorse. None. 

"Wow," Tony states, the conversation apparently dying with this response. 

Tony sighs, his mind working on another way to manoeuvre the conversation. If this is the one chance he gets to delve into Loki's life, then by _god_ is he going to shoot his shot from every single direction. "Funny how she still thought you had a boyfriend, even after all these months. Good track record back at home?"

No response. Tony waits a few seconds; seconds which he certainly doesn't use to drag his gaze down towards Loki's legs for like, the eighth time. 

"You know," Tony starts, way too casual. _Be cool. "_ As your pretend-boyfriend, I'm a little hurt you didn't invite me."

The bait works – Tony hadn't been expecting it to, but it did the job. Loki stops; takes a moment before he slowly turns his head to look down at Tony. Green eyes narrow. 

"You'd come?" 

It's the first time Loki's ever considered introducing Tony to his family, the first time he's getting more than just overheard conversations between Thor and Loki. Tony could punch a wall in celebration. 

Instead, he just shrugs. "How bad could it be?" 

Loki's lips curve into a thin smile. "You'd be surprised."

###

Loki spends a good portion of the drive talking about his family. It's carefully selective, but the sudden outpour of information is strangely overwhelming. Like Loki was providing unnecessary details to compensate for the things he _weren't_ saying _._ It was clear in the way that Loki spoke that he hated every second of it, and since Tony doesn't want to cross the line and ask why, he leaves it at that. 

Finally, at the ass-crack of dawn, Loki pulls up in the driveway of a huge, two-storeyed mansion. The porch light turns on just as Loki slows to a stop, flooding the driveway with a warm golden light. He catches the nervous looks Loki shoots in his direction, as if quicker the glance, the quicker he'd get a read on Tony's thoughts. For the sake of being a prick, Tony keeps his face mostly pleasant. Loki doesn't say anything, and neither does Tony. 

A middle-aged woman approaches them as soon as they get out of the car, a warm smile radiating from her face as she pulls Loki into a tight embrace. Tony busies himself with taking their bags out of the car, making his movements as slow as he could so he won't have to step into their moment any time soon. Tony's unzipping and zipping his bag for the fifth time when he hears his name being called. 

"You must be Anthony," the woman says, her face positively _beaming_ as she lets go of Loki and walks towards Tony. Over her shoulder, he sees Loki tense, eyes fixed on Tony with an unreadable expression. 

"Yeah," Tony nods, eyes flicking back to her, and since he's all about playing the part, adds: "The boyfriend."

He sticks an arm out, which she shakes. "So I've been told," she smiles. "I'm Frigga, Loki's mother. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, dear. Loki–" 

"Mother," Loki cuts her off before Frigga can say anything more. An odd smile forms on Loki's face as his mother turns to him. "It was a painfully long drive. I'm exhausted, and if I may speak for Anthony, I'm sure he is too. May we continue the pleasantries in the morning?" 

"Oh!" Frigga exclaims, like the thought had completely slipped her mind. "Yes, of course." 

She turns to Tony with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, dear. I got carried away, Loki never–" 

" _Mother."_

"Actually," Tony says, settling into the peacemaker role. "I'm not that tired. There's some stuff I need to design for work, and since I came at such a short notice, they'll need me to–" Tony doesn't get to finish because for the third time within the past thirty seconds, Loki interrupts. 

"Anthony, that's your exhaustion talking," Loki smiles. It's a smile as fake as their relationship, if not more. "You finished before we left, remember?" 

Tony, ever the genius, catches onto Loki's attempts. There was no way Loki was letting Tony talk to his mother, or vice-versa, in a way that would let them bond over things that Loki's spent literal _years_ keeping apart. 

"No, I didn't," Tony answers shortly. 

"You told me you wanted to sleep," Loki insists pointedly, his eyes doing a weird thing, and okay, maybe Tony's having a little fun with this. 

"Pretty sure I didn't."

Loki's lips purse in slight annoyance, eyes sharpening. "Anthony."

Before Tony can say anything more, Frigga cuts in with a warm smile. "I think you should sleep for a few hours, dear. I'm sure Loki's speaking from a place of concern."

Loki continues to glare at him, and Tony resists the urge to snort. 

Concern. 

_Yeah, right._

### 

"You know," Tony says, once they settle into their respective sides in Loki's double bed. Tony's sleeping face-up, an arm thrown over his head while the other is splayed across his abdomen. Loki's sleeping on his front, head turned towards Tony and an arm tucked under his head. "If you wanted to sleep with me, you just had to ask. We didn't have to come all the way here."

He can feel Loki's eyes boring into him, but Tony keeps his eyes set on the ceiling. If Loki got a good look at Tony's face, he could probably figure out that Tony really did want to sleep with him. Which is why, not wanting to compromise his charming personality under Loki's gaze, Tony's playing a game of Who's Going To Blink First? with the ceiling. 

"Maybe I wanted it to be memorable," Loki teases, and it gives just the right opening for Tony that he _has_ to turn his head. 

"It's me," Tony states matter-of-factly, sneaking a glance at Loki with a tilt of his head. Loki looks mildly amused. "It'll be memorable anyway."

A short laugh escapes Loki's lips, and it honest-to-fucking god makes Tony's heart flutter. Tony forces himself to look away before he accidentally reveals anything that is equivalent to a wrecking ball crumbling their friendship. 

Loki goes to sleep in minutes. Tony knows that because Loki sleeps with his mouth open and he's too proud to actually fake an open-mouthed slumber. Tony sits up from the bed, slipping out of the room in ease and leaving the door an inch open just in case Loki hears the door shut. He doesn't have a purpose, really. He just wants to get a good look around him without a Loki-shaped Big Brother looking over his shoulder. He lingers on a couple of family portraits, Loki managing an impressive scowl in each and every one of them. 

Since Tony's used to the ridiculous mazes that houses like these are constructed around, it's easy enough to find the dining area, where Frigga is seated with a cup of coffee – a newspaper laid out in front of her. 

Frigga looks up, catching his movement from the corner of her eyes. "Anthony. Did you need something?" 

"No. No, I'm good. Thanks. I was just taking a look around," He explains with a dismissive hand. "You can call me Tony, by the way."

He looks around the dining room, the early morning sunlight streaming through floor to ceiling windows casting soft shadows across the room. It looks ridiculously cozy. 

"Please, sit." Frigga motions to the chair beside her, body twisting to face Tony. "We haven't had a chance to talk yet."

"Yeah," Tony agrees, moving to take a seat. "Loki gets possessive sometimes." 

The weight of his words kick in and Tony backtracks immediately, fumbling. "Not– not that I'm complaining. I like it." 

_Great. Just great._ He can't go five seconds without embarrassing himself in front of Loki's mother. 

"He talks a lot about you," Frigga says, pouring him a cup of coffee. She notices the puzzled look on Tony's face and does a double take. "Loki," she clarifies. "It's nice to finally put a face to your name."

_What?_

"He talks about me?" Tony asks, squinting with a tilt of his head. He distinctly remembers Loki saying that Tony had only been used as an excuse for not coming home for his birthday. Which was, well, _once._

"You sound surprised," Frigga notes with a frown, and all Tony can do is blink. Loki talks about him to his mother? Continuously refers to Tony as his _boyfriend?_ What the hell. _What the hell._

Frigga's still looking at him, expectant. Tony clears his throat, bringing the coffee to his lips. "Didn't really see that coming, if I'm being honest." Which wasn't a lie at all. 

"You shouldn't blame him," Frigga says, her smile turning sad. "I– Loki wasn't always a private person. His father was always selective with his affection, more so with Loki than Thor. I'm sure he's told you."

Tony freezes mid-sip, a gear suddenly clicking into place, because _that?_ That makes sense. It explains why Loki's always hated going home as compared to Thor, who pounced at every opportunity. Why any mention of their parents always made Loki go tense, and Tony, none the wiser, took it at face value and dismissed it as Loki just being private about his life, as he always is. 

"Is it the coffee?" Frigga asks, breaking Tony's train of thought. "Loki told me you liked it with a teaspoon of honey. Is it not to your taste?" 

It's only then that Tony realizes the coffee is exactly how he takes it. He hadn't even noticed, so used to the taste that his brain barely made it a point to mention it. He stares at the coffee. How much does Loki talk about him if Frigga knows exactly how Tony likes his coffee? What the fuck. What the _fuck._

"No, it's good," Tony answers, eager to wipe the concerned frown on her face. "Perfect, actually." 

Frigga smiles, pleased. An odd silence fills the room, but she's quick to break it. 

"I apologise if I made you uncomfortable," Frigga says. "Like I said, I get carried away. It's the first time Loki has brought someone home before, and I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that he has you. I think he's always needed someone like you."

"Thank god," Tony breathes out, not even skipping a beat as he brings the coffee to his lips. "Cause I need him too." 

His mind is trailing back to all the times Loki had refused to bring up his family, and Tony suddenly understands why Frigga said what she said. Loki's a private person, and Tony had realized as soon as he met Loki that if he pushes too hard, the further Loki will distance himself. Loki needs someone like Tony, someone who values privacy, because hell, if anyone knows how valuable privacy is, it's Tony, son of Howard goddamn Stark. 

"Can't imagine my life without him," he finishes absently, the words more of an afterthought as he takes a sip of the coffee and _that's when his brain catches up._ His eyes jerk towards Frigga, who has an unusually odd smile on her face. 

"That came out wrong," Tony corrects immediately. _Fuck._

Her smile remains the same, amusement swimming in her eyes. "Did it?" 

Tony doesn't have an answer, doesn't think he could answer if he had one anyway. He turns his attention back to the coffee, taking a deliberately slow sip as his mind works extensively on switching the topic. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Frigga glance at her watch. 

"I'm sorry to cut this short, my dear," she says, and Tony looks up just as she meets his eyes. "I have to help with the wedding arrangements. Hela might lose her head, otherwise." She folds the newspaper closed before standing up. "Will I be seeing you at noon?" 

"Yeah, of course." 

Frigga smiles, motioning to someone out of Tony's sight inside the room before she turns to him. "It was nice talking to you." 

"Not a problem," Tony waves a hand, setting his cup down just as a woman enters the dining hall with a tray to clear the table. He smiles weakly. "I– uh, needed it."

###

Loki doesn't seem to have noticed Tony's absence, long limbs now spread across the bed and well into Tony's side. Not that Tony minds, of course, but he would have liked to be there when it had happened. 

A quick glance at his watch shows the time as just half past eight, giving him at least two hours to spare before getting ready for the wedding. There's no way he can get back into bed without moving Loki's body and waking him up in the process, which is why Tony heads to the bathroom door. 

He opens the door slightly, and doesn't even wait a second before shutting it closed a bit louder than necessary. It does the trick. Loki's fingers twitch, head stirring slightly before it jerks up at Tony's absence beside him. 

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Tony asks, like the shit he is, because of course he did. Loki's head snaps in his direction, first to the closed bedroom door, and then to Tony and his hold on the bathroom door knob. 

"It's alright," Loki answers softly. He takes in Tony's face, and then his eyes narrow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tony asks coolly, the word coming more as a gust of air than an actual word, as he makes his way to his side of the bed. Loki, suddenly aware of the fact that his whole body was sprawled across the bed, retreats back to his side like some kind of hermit crab.

"Okay," is all Loki says before breaking eye contact, suddenly finding the rest of the room more interesting. Tony shoots him an odd look before climbing back onto the bed. 

"It's weird, I'm getting the feeling you don't want me here," Tony says, which gets Loki's attention. Loki's head snaps to Tony's. 

"We're good, right?" Tony asks, softer now, and Loki frowns, which doesn't help, because it still doesn't tell him what the hell Loki's thinking. 

"Anthony," Loki says finally, body shifting so that he's on his side and looking directly at Tony. "Why would you say that? Of course I want you here." 

"Yeah," is all Tony says. Is all he _can_ say when Loki's looking at him like that, like he could care about Tony as much as Tony cares for him. 

Loki's hand reaches to place a palm over Tony's cheek, an action that's _way too intimate_ until Loki speaks. 

"I want you here," he repeats. "You're my best friend. Nothing less than that."

The hand is off of his face before Tony can even relish in the moment. Not that there was much left to salvage considering the hand could have been the equivalent of a slap in the face to remind him of the friend-zone he's stuck in. 

###

The wedding goes by smoothly, save for the fact that Loki was stuck to him like glue, as if everyone around needed a constant reminder that they were dating. The family was right about it being a small ceremony, seeing as there were only about 40 people around, a majority of them family – which did an excellent job of making Tony feel out of place. 

Loki's pouring a drink for the both of them when Frigga shows up behind them, apologising profusely for needing to steal Loki away from Tony for a few minutes. Loki, as expected, insists on Tony joining until Frigga kindly mentions that it's a family matter. 

Tony can see Loki weighing the pros and cons of leaving Tony in the easy access of forty family members, until he miraculously gives in and excuses himself with a displeased frown on his face. 

Almost as if waiting for the opportunity, someone speaks up from beside Tony the minute Loki's out of sight. 

"Howard Stark’s son," the older man beside him says. Tony instantly knows who it is because, for one, Loki had been actively avoiding the man the entire day, and two, from all the people in the wedding, Tony was never introduced to Loki's father. 

Tony's good at doing the math. 

Also, he's seen the family portrait. But still. 

"Mr. Borson," Tony greets, plastering a warm smile on his face and turning to the man. "Please, call me Tony."

"My son seems to be very adamant about keeping you away from me," Odin says, not even hesitating to get to the point. 

"I'm sure he wasn't doing it on purpose," Tony answers, and sticks a hand out. "Nonetheless, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Odin takes his hand, giving a firm shake before letting go and sipping on his drink. "Loki has never bought any of his friends home before," Odin notes, and there's something about the way he says it that makes Tony itch. 

"Yeah, I've been told," Tony says. He clears his throat. "And I'm not his friend, Sir. We're dating."

Odin hums, shrewd eyes scanning the rest of the crowd as he takes another sip of his drink. "And what is he getting out of it?" 

"Excuse me?" 

"The arrangement," Odin clarifies, steely gray eyes turning to Tony. _He knows._ Tony feels his blood run cold. "That's what this is, yes?" 

"This isn't an arrange–" Tony starts weakly, mind spinning with panicked thoughts. _How does he know? How the hell does– were they that obvious? Did Loki tell him?_

"I know my son, Tony," Odin cuts in. "He would do anything to antagonise me, even going so far as to introduce a male lover to the family." 

Oh god. _This son of a–_

"Fiancé," Tony blurts out. 

Odin tilts his head, eyes hardening ever so slightly. His eyes briefly flick to something over Tony's shoulder before his eyes settle back on Tony. "What?" 

"I'm his fiancé. The guy who's marrying your son," Tony says firmly, and he's amazed at how he's able to stand his ground in this _ridiculously_ obvious lie. "Does that count for an arrangement?" 

There's just enough time for Odin to look down at Tony's ring finger before Loki suddenly appears beside him, an angry glare on his face that Tony's very glad he's not the recipient of. Loki's hands curl around Tony's wrist, tightening almost possessively as he speaks. 

"You had mother separate us so you could _belittle_ the man I love?" Loki grits out. 

"I'm only looking out for you, Loki," Odin says, and if there are a few people who's suddenly interested in the confrontation, neither Loki nor Odin seem to care. 

"I've done extremely well by myself," Loki says. "You can look out for Thor all you like, but you are _not_ to interfere with my life."

There's a slight tug on Tony's hand from where Loki's firmly holding him, and it's all that Tony needs to follow Loki's lead. Loki's breathing heavily, nostrils flaring in anger as he quite literally marches them away from the crowd. 

"I shouldn't have left you alone," Loki mutters under his breath, so soft that Tony isn't sure if it was even meant to be heard. 

"If it's any consolation," Tony starts as their pace slows. "Getting to tell your father that we're getting married was worth it." 

That makes Loki stop short. He turns to Tony, an odd expression on his face before he breaks into a grin. "What did he say?" 

"Nothing. But you should have seen his face," Tony says, grinning, and he gets to see Loki laugh for a whole minute. The sight makes Tony's heart feel full and warm, feel a certain _pride_ that it was Tony who made Loki laugh and shit– Tony is in love. Or something. 

###

"Keep that up, and people will start to think you're planning a patricide," Tony says through his drink, casual eyes scanning the multitude of dancing couples. 

Loki finally tears his eyes away from where he was blatantly glaring at Odin, his scowl softening ever so slightly as he looks at Tony. "He infuriates me."

"You want the whole world to know that?" 

"I wouldn't mind."

Tony huffs out a laugh before setting his drink aside. "C'mon," Tony puts his hand out, standing up. Loki looks at Tony's open palm, before looking up – face blank. 

"What?" 

"Do you need me to spell it out for you? Get up. We're dancing."

"I don't dance."

"That's not what I remember." Loki catches on pretty quick at what Tony was referencing to, and the memory of Tony walking in on Loki dancing in the middle of the living room wearing nothing but his boxers suddenly makes Loki flush a deep red. 

"You said you'd never bring it up," Loki complains, but takes Tony's hand anyway. He's vaguely aware of Odin's eyes following the pair, but the only thing Tony can think of is Loki's hands clasped in his own. 

Tony turns as they near the centre of the dance floor, snaking an arm around Loki's waist to bring them closer. Loki's free hand reaches up to place itself over the curve of Tony's shoulder. Tony palm is splayed across the small of Loki's back and he realizes he's never been this close to Loki's face before – so close that he could count Loki's lashes, could identify where the hollow of his cheeks begin and end, so close he could _feel_ his breath mixing with Loki's. Their noses are barely an inch apart, and Tony has to tilt his chin up ever so slightly to continue looking at Loki's face. The proximity feels surreal. 

Loki's eyes are focused elsewhere – anywhere, but Tony's – and Tony can see the embarrassed tint in Loki's cheeks. _Oh, god. He hates being here._

Tony takes the lead and there's a few seconds where Tony's just immersed in the _song_ and _Loki_ and his _body_ and the _dance_ until Loki speaks, effectively stopping Tony from metaphorically drooling any more. 

"Odin is watching us," Loki says casually, his eyes somewhere over Tony's shoulder. Odin, likely. 

"What's he look like?" Tony asks, eyes flicking down to Loki's lips which – really isn't _down,_ seeing as it's directly in Tony's eye-level. It's impossible _not_ to look at it, really. 

Tony sees Loki's lips pull into a satisfied smile. "Annoyed." A beat, and then: "Mother looks happy."

"She should be. I'm a catch," Tony says, and takes his eyes off of the very kissable lips just in time to catch the amused glint in Loki's eyes. 

"Oh, please."

"She reminds me of mine," Tony says after a few seconds, and when his partner raises an eyebrow, Tony clarifies. "Your mom."

Loki smiles softly, his thumb swiping across Tony's shoulder and nearly grazing his collarbone in a comforting gesture. It makes Tony's nerve endings go haywire. "I don't mind sharing her with you."

"You better not," Tony says pointedly, voice slightly strained because all he can _focus on is Loki's thumb_ drawing circles on Tony's shoulder. He turns them around; meets Frigga's eye and shoots her a quick smile before continuing, "Seeing as we're already engaged to be wed."

Loki hums in response, lips stretched into a closed smile as he takes a step forward, chest all but _pressed_ against Tony's, and _oh god Loki's lips are so close_. Tony can feel Loki's soft breaths fanning across his face, and just like that, the background transitions to a blur. All Tony can see, feel, hear and smell is Loki. Torture, is what this is, because Loki's right in front of him and blissfully unaware of the wave of emotions Tony's going through. 

Loki's head turns to the side, giving Tony a clear view of the pale expanse on his neck and Tony, like a goddamn _creep_ , breathes it in. Loki's smell makes all of Tony's blood rush down to a single spot, his lips aching with the need to mark Loki's neck in all forms of red. 

_"You're my best friend,"_ Loki's words ring painfully in his mind. _"Nothing less than that."_

Nothing _less._

Tony stills. "More," Tony says absently, because if he's not _less_ then he could be _more._

"What?" Loki's eyes flick down, but Tony's eyes are fixated on Loki's neck. He wouldn't mind kissing it right now, actually. 

"More," Tony repeats. 

"More of what?" 

"Of this," Tony says, and finally drags his eyes up to meet Loki's. God, he looks _so confused._ Throwing caution to the wind, Tony continues. "Of us. What if I want more of us?" 

Loki looks around, suddenly unsure. "Of us… dancing?" 

_Fucking hell._

"No," Tony grits out with a sigh. "Not– not us _dancing_ . Just. _Us._ I want us to be _more,_ " he clarifies, and if Loki still doesn't get it, Tony thinks he might knee Loki in the groin. 

Loki's cheeks flush red again – _embarrassed, he's so embarrassed, he's going to reject me, going to laugh in my face_ – and his eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Anthony, are you– is this a joke?" 

_Fuck it._

"Yeah," Tony sighs, looking away. His throat feels dry, but he manages a small laugh anyway. "Too far?" 

He's vaguely aware of Loki increasing the space between them, wide enough that another person could fit between them, and Tony can't even look at Loki anymore. Not that Loki's looking at him either – they're both averting their gazes in the opposite direction like a divorced couple being forced upon the dance floor. Their bodies continue to sway to the music, movements in sync with the other even if they weren't conscious of it.

"Thank you for being here," Loki says a few moments later, but he's still not looking at Tony. "With me."

"Yeah, not a problem."

"Some may find this situation uncomfortable," Loki continues as if Tony hadn't just said it's not a problem. He gulps, and Tony's eyes linger on the way Loki's neck pulsates with the movement. "Being forced into such proximity when they're not– not at that stage. I… appreciate it, Anthony." 

"Like I said," Tony says tightly, his teeth clenched with such force that there's an ache in his jaw. "Not a problem." 

Loki, probably sensing the closed-off tone, decides to finally shut up. The playlist ends a few minutes later and the couples start heading out of the dance floor. They're no longer holding hands, so when Loki's hand brushes against Tony, he dismisses it as an accidental movement and brings his hand closer to his body. Safe from any accidental touches, because, well, better safe than sorry and all that. 

###

Loki's unspoken rule of possessively standing beside Tony continues for the rest of the day until the guests start leaving. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since the dance, and Tony's more than fine with that, thank you very much. Dinner goes by quietly – it's only Tony, Loki, Frigga and Odin – since Thor, the only loud person in the family, had gone out with some of his friends. Frigga makes minimal conversation, clearly sensing the tension between Tony, Loki and Odin, but she manages it well anyway. 

It's _fine_ , Tony consoles himself, or it _will_ be fine, because after tomorrow morning, Tony can say goodbye to this place and he can pretend this day never happened. Blacklist it from memory. 

At least, that's what Tony thinks, until they get inside Loki's room and Loki clicks the lock shut before rounding on Tony with a deadly glare. 

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Loki hisses, eyes sharp and accusing and it felt like just the right string of words that pushes Tony's button of well-maintained patience. Apparently Tony was not the only one annoyed at the events that transpired that day. 

"What is wrong with _me?"_ Tony echoes in disbelief, refusing to be cornered. "What's wrong with _you?!"_ He shoots right back. 

It's obvious Loki hadn't expected that, because he just blinks. And then, slowly, "Excuse me? You have _no_ right to ask me that," Loki says, his voice level. " _You–_ with what you've been doing the entire day behind my back, you– you tell my mother you can't imagine your life without me, you stand up for me in front of my _father_ and then ask me to _dance_ with you and–"

"Because that's what fake boyfriends are supposed to _do!"_ Tony cuts in, his words coming out louder than he'd expected. They wait a few beats, hoping Tony's sudden outburst doesn't bring Frigga rushing to their room in concern. 

"Wait," Tony blinks after the silence had let him register Loki's words. "How do _you_ know what I told your mother?" 

"She told me," Loki says, not looking very pleased about the fact that Tony caught on to the slip of tongue. "When Odin was talking to you." 

"Did she, now?" Tony asks rhetorically, and if his words are edging to a bitter tone, he pays it no need. He's _pissed_ okay? He has certain privileges now. "And guess what she told me? That you talk to her about me. _A lot._ What's that about?" 

Loki inhales sharply, and his words are slow when he answers. "That doesn't concern you."

"I think it does." Tony doesn't even miss a beat. "Seeing as you're talking, like I said, about _me."_

"That's not what I–" Loki starts, and when his lips part to continue his defense, he cuts himself off with a resigned sigh. "Anthony, I'm not doing this with you today. You need to rest, you haven't slept."

"Oh, if you think for one minute that I'm going to share this bed with you after the stunts you've pulled today–" 

"Nobody said anything about sharing a bed," Loki cuts in with a glare, and Tony doesn't even get an explanation to that because Loki unlocks the bedroom door and slips right out. Tony stares at the door for a few short seconds before he rushes to open it, catching Loki just as the latter starts heading down the stairs.

"Wait. Where are you sleeping?" Tony calls out, making Loki stop in the middle of the stairs. He doesn't look at Tony when he responds. 

"Does it matter?" Loki asks bitterly, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that whatever Tony said in the room touched a nerve. 

"Uh, yeah," Tony says. "Considering I just told your dad we're getting married, he's going to ask questions on why you slept somewhere else."

Loki turns to him, eyes fixed with an unreadable expression. "Is that the only reason?" 

"You want another one?" Tony jokes. 

Loki continues to stare, and Tony just sighs. "C'mon, Lokes. I was joking. I didn't mean it."

Thankfully, Loki listens. 

###

Not even five minutes after his head hits the pillow, Tony falls asleep. It doesn't help that his efforts to maintain an adequate sleep cycle goes _poof_ considering his internal clock is wired to wake up every other hour. 

His mind had been doing an impressively slow job of shifting into a conscious state until Loki spoke. After which Tony was on high alert. 

"Was it something I said?" Loki asks quietly, and he cannot _possibly_ be talking to Tony because Tony hasn't even opened his eyes yet. 

"I know you're awake," Loki adds a moment later. 

"You don't know that," Tony answers, eyes still shut. He's sleeping on his back, face towards the ceiling, but he can feel Loki's eyes boring holes into his temple. 

"You stopped snoring," Loki explains, like it's a thing he's cared about enough to _notice._ Tony ignores the bruising kick to the ego, mind fixated on going back to sleep. 

"Anthony," Loki says, and his voice softens. "Was it something I said?" 

_This oblivious fucking fool of a–_ "No."

"You hesitated."

"I was _thinking_."

"Tell me."

"I told you."

Tony hears Loki sigh. "I only wanted to thank you for what you did for me."

"No need for that," Tony dismisses easily, eyes still shut. He's fairly sure if he opens his eyes and looks at Loki he's going to start saying words without engaging his brain to mouth filter. "That's what friends are supposed to do anyway."

"Is that all you think you are?" Loki asks, having the _galls_ to sound hurt. 

"Yes."

There's the rustle of fabric, the mattress shifting as Loki moves into a seated position. The nightlight flicks on. Because serious conversations should take place in the dead of fucking night. "Why are you being like this?"

"You'll have to elaborate."

"You're shutting me out," comes the firm answer. Tony _would_ have ignored it if he hadn't heard the underlying accusation in Loki's words. 

His eyes snap open, fitting Loki with a glare before he shoves the blanket off of his body. _To hell with sleeping._

" _You're_ the one shutting me out, Loki," Tony hisses sharply, sitting up to face Loki at eye-level, and Loki's eyes widen at the sudden reaction. "What the hell did you expect? You not only tell your mother I'm your boyfriend, you tell her everything about me, like– like how I take my coffee, _for gods' sake._ Who tells their mother that? You hold my hand – which is _fine,_ considering we're supposed to be dating – but you do when no one's even _looking_ . You do all these _things,_ but the moment I consider the possibility there's more to us than just friends, your stupid brain can't even grasp the concept of it because you think I'm _joking!_ "

Now that he thinks of it, Tony wonders if Loki was blatantly rejecting Tony's advances by brushing it off as a joke, because while it wouldn't have been the kindest way to get Tony off of his back, it certainly wasn't the worst. But now that Tony _is_ off of his back, suddenly Loki has a problem. 

"Like you said," Loki starts, his words already edging towards a bitter response, and Tony knows what's coming. 

"No," Tony cuts in with an accusatory finger before Loki can even finish the thought. "Don't even start. _Fake_ boyfriends don't do what you're doing."

Loki snaps his mouth shut, a flicker of guilt before he registers the rest of Tony's words."What are you implying?" Loki's eyes flash in subtle warning, but Tony's also not a coward.

"I'm not implying anything. But, hey, if the shoe fits…" Tony trails off with a deliberately careless shrug, and Loki's glare only grows more intense. Before the conversation can spoil his mood any further, Tony looks away. 

"You know, when I thought about you having your way with me, this was not what I expected," Tony mutters under his breath, reaching for the blanket to pull it back towards him so he can _go the hell to sleep_ already when Loki's hand clamps down on Tony's wrist. 

"What?" Tony snaps, the same time Loki says, "Having my way with you _how?"_

Tony shoots him an irritated glance. "What do you _think?_ " 

It's in that moment he sees the realization dawning on Loki's face – clear as day. It might as well be plastered on his head in bold letters. He stared at Tony for a few seconds, face pale. Loki swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing with the movement. "You weren't joking."

"Obviously not," Tony huffs out, trying to shake away Loki's grip around his hand. "Contrary to popular belief, I can be serious when the situation calls for it."

"You like me," Loki says, like it hadn't already been obvious. Tony lets out a resigned sigh. The only thing their friendship was lacking had been a futile schoolgirl crush, which, now, thanks to Tony, their friendship is on the tenth circle of hell. 

"Severe understatement," Tony clarifies for no reason. "But yes, okay? What, did you want to hear me say it out loud?" 

Loki blinks. Once. Twice. "Anthony," Loki states dumbly, and slowly, his lips stretch into a wide grin, all teeth. "Oh, you _fool._ " 

"Wow," Tony mutters under his breath, more out of annoyance than surprise. "So much for rubbing it in."

 _"Yes,"_ Loki says, grinning. His eyes are sparkling in delight, which doesn't comfort Tony at all, because Tony had more or less confessed his undying love and all Loki did was call him a fool. 

"Yeah, that's great. I'm glad he agrees," Tony makes a show of telling himself before he fixes Loki with a slight scowl. 

"Yes to _more,"_ Loki emphasises, still grinning. His other hand reaches to hold Tony's wrist, catching Tony's hand with both of his hands. "Anthony, I– I _want_ us to be more, if you do too."

"Wait–" 

"I've been in love with you for _months_ ," Loki interrupts, and that sentence by itself is enough to short circuit Tony's brain. "Months of not being able to act on my feelings towards you; of having you so close to me – the way you are now – and yet wanting to be so much closer; of sitting through tasteless reruns of The Bachelor only because I wanted to be beside you."

"Hey," Tony frowns, offended. "That's a classic. Don't diss the source of my pick-up lines." 

Loki's nostrils flare with an impatient sigh as he tilts his head. " _Anthony_."

"Yeah, no. I heard you," Tony says, averting his gaze briefly before he meets Loki's eyes. A clever, bright green – it was the colour Tony fell in love with. "Still working on coming to terms with the fact I could have been dating–" _kissing,_ his mind supplies at the same time, and Tony's glad he didn't end up fumbling and end up saying something like _dissing_ instead, "–you the entire time."

"We could start now," Loki offers, a shy smile pulling at the corners of his lips. 

"Now?" Tony repeats in faux offense. "Not a chance. I'm taking you out for dinner, first."

Loki huffs out a laugh, hand reaching up to cup Tony's face for the second time that day, and this time Tony _does_ get to relish in it. His face leans into Loki's open palm, a thumb swiping over Tony's lips that had been parted ever so slightly to accommodate his suddenly rapid breathing. Loki's eyes are fixated on Tony's lips, pupils blown as he whispers. "Can I kiss you?" 

"Yeah," Tony answers, nearly choking on the word. "That– that's something we could do now."

Loki hums, pleased, and leans forward, Tony following the gesture and tilting his chin up accordingly. The second their lips touch, softly pressing against each other, is the second Tony's brain catches up; is the second Tony realizes that he's been a downright _idiot_ because he could have had this _months_ ago if he'd just opened his damn mouth. He could have been doing this and more for _months._ He wouldn't have needed to be a fake boyfriend, probably wouldn't even have had to _lie_ to Odin about their engagement because there was no way in hell Tony was letting go of Loki so easily. He's got _Loki._

Perfect, beautiful, _occasional_ pain-in-the-ass _Loki._

Tony breaks apart for a short second, heavy breathing mixing with Loki's in front of him, cheeks flushed red and lips swollen, and Tony has to forcefully drag his eyes up to Loki's. 

"This isn't," Tony breathes out. "This isn't a joke, right?" 

A cheshire-like grin pulls at Loki's face, eyes twinkling in amusement before he pulls Tony in for another kiss. Tony figures it's a good enough answer. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it! 💕  
> (did i type a 7k+ worded fic on my phone because my laptop wasn't working? yes. yes, i did. because frostiron.)


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